Friday, April 22, 2011

It is April and once again time for sea runners to leave their winter quarters in coastal lakes and migrate to the estuaries and ocean feeding areas. By sea runners I mean cutthroat trout and dolly varden char. The rivers in Skagway and Haines are low and clear, creating good conditions to intercept these out-migrating fish as they fatten up on salmon alevin and fry.

There has been good success using slump busters, white clouser minnows and small alevin patterns on varying sink tips, either stripped through pools or swung through runs and riffles. Try switching it up drifting an alevin pattern under an indicator, around structure such as log jams and rock piles. This is where the new switch rods come into their own.(check out the tutorial bellow from the good folks at the Caddis Fly Shop in Oregon, to explain how to create a good nymph (streamer) rig.

On the home front, the Yukon River tailwater is warming and the ice is leaving the riffles and runs around town. Try swinging small lite brite streamers and thunder creeks on heavy sink tips. When the temp gets above 8 degrees Celsius, a double midge rig is a good bet. I would recommend a red rock worm or San Juan worm as your point fly and a zibra midge as your tail gunner. A small amount of non-toxic split shot will be necessary to get the flies down to the fish fast. This whole system under a strike indicator of course.

For a complete selection of flies and supplies, stop by the shop in Riverdale. Also, stay tuned for the opening of the downtown store location on the Klondike Corner at 2nd Ave and Steele St. On Top Fly Shop.